The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-10-12

4 novel snd interesting feature OF
the State Fair, devised by President
Duncan, will be a meeting OF rep
resentatiyes of the ante-bellum farm
ers OF the State.
Colonel Duncan, in letter publish
ed in the Neacs and Courier Of the 10th,
on the subject, says:
desire to have during the fair, ssy on
Wednesday, November 9, q meeting Of the
old settlers of the State, e delegation of three
from each county who have made farming 6
their principal business to- forty years.
can but believe that such q meeting Will re-
suit in good to ali who will listen to these
old farmers discussing farming as it was a
half century ago, as it is to-day and as 1t
can be in the near future. Some valuable
experiences may be heard, which will throw
some light co our troubled Agricultural mat
*ers. Il may develop the fact that all the
agricultural glitter of the so-called by.gone
days was not all pure gold. and that the
farmers of the early days of this century bad
troubles, disappointments and failures that
We have never dreamed Of and that will
make Us think after all, our Zines are cast
in pleasant places"
There will be much food for valuable
thought suggested by the experience OF
members of such meeting. Take dole
gate who has scored three-Guarters OF the
present century and his life will have con-
Gsined large majority Of the great lnven-
lions and Improvements, not only ID aSrl-
culture, but in all the arts and sciences OF
our age. AS an illustration, when such
delegate was born Fulton's first steamboat
was only five years old, and very unde-
veloped affair at thas It took at that time
three months, and sometimes six, to cross
the Atlantic, and now g week is being con-
sidered tiresone journey. When this del
egate was y years old the first iron plow was
made and the farmers of that day shook their
heads and said; 1T won't do; too heavy"
regular horse killers" Now an old time
wooden plough stock would be a genuine
curiosity. What an interesting exhibit
full line of agricultural tools and machinery
used three-c uarters Of a century ago would
make by the side ofa well equipped farm +
today.
One delegate could tell Us he was eighteen
years old when he went to see the first train
Of cars that was run il South Carolina.
Now, excluding some Of her coast region,
South Carolina has as many miles Of rail
road as any State IN the Union in proport-
ton to her territory. He was twenty-one
yeare old before there was such a thing rs
s lucifer match, and he had up to that time
been using his cumbersome tioderb box.
He had almost reached middle life before
science took charge of electricity and the
first telegraphic message was sent. He
could tell US about the time when our grain
crops were CIT with the hand reap hook,
then the grass-blade, then the grain cradle,
then the reaper, and then the harvester, and
now it would seem that perfection was reach
ed in the Prairie Reapers that cut. thrash
and sack the grain by one machine in the
field.
Colonel Duncan says place will be
arranged for the meeting on the Fair
grounds. He requests the farmers OF
each county to meet as early as posi-
Die and select a delegation from them
snd forward their names to him at
Union, S. c., giving the point at which
they will take the railroad. He hopes